Remembering through Knitting

When I couldn't find a white peace poppy in time for this Remembrance Day, and the Friends at the Quaker meeting I attend resorted to making their own out of paper, I turned to the internet for ideas and instructions on how to knit one for November 11, 2013. I found loads of really beautiful handmade poppy brooches online whose makers had employed every kind of craft technique, from felting to needlepoint to crochet to enamel. The nicest handmade poppies I saw weren't knitted as the knitted ones tended to look rather floppy and shapeless, but as this is supposed to be a knitting blog, here are just a few of the knitted poppies I came across.

You can find a free pattern for the poppy above here.

The free pattern for this one is here.

The pattern for this one is for sale here.

I love the detail on these poppies, though they are felted rather than knitted. I think I'll adapt the design to make myself a white knitted poppy for next year.

And I'll be keeping in mind that if I make my own poppy, it should bear some resemblance to nature's originals. Some of the handmade ones I saw, well, didn't.

Not All Vintage is Good Vintage

This isn't one of those vintage knitting patterns one drools over and that makes one reflect on some supposed decline in craftsmanship or aesthetics. This is one of those knitting patterns one has to view in the proper historical context: as the perfect thing for a miserable, Valium-addicted housewife to make her closeted gay husband. I understand these "string vests", also known as "Norwegian string vests" because they were first invented by a Norwegian Army Commandant in 1933, supposedly have heating and cooling properties, because they trap air between the meshes. My guess is they also work well as a form of birth control, because if a man strips down in front of a woman and she sees him wearing this, he isn't getting any.

Now this is the type of vintage pattern one drools over. It's utter perfection. This pattern is from a 1930's Patons Beehive booklet. I'm planning on making this one myself and have bought a PDF of this pattern online and some hand-dyed merino yarn in shades of teal and green for the purpose. I like the idea of making a thirties pattern in a very contemporary-style yarn.